The one who got away.....

In the past, Marvel and DC have put out a number of comics that centered around the villains that appeared in their comics. Some were met with praise and success(Deathstroke, Suicide Squad, the Venom limited series), and others were met with disaster(the 2nd Venom comic series, Zemo). In some occasions, it is best to make a limited series on a villain, and see where the sales take them. The character of Carnage, who disappeared from the comics for years did return a few year back in two hugely successful limited series(Carnage and Carnage USA). He then appeared in the "Axis" limited series, but that comic set should really never be discussed honestly. Now, he is back in his first ongoing series. How will it be and how long will it last?

Well, the plot of the first issue is very basic. Gerry Conway takes us on a tour of the mind of Cletus Kasady as he decides to go after the one survivor of his first maniacal rage. But, of course it is also a trap created by the US army to take down Carnage once and for all. Characters that we know from the Spider-man comics return in the form of John Jameson and a new bulked up Eddie Brock who is now the symbiote Toxin. Yes, there is alot to take in if you are behind on the characters in recent years. There's even more to take in because even if you aren't behind, continuity takes a right turn from what we already knew. The art by Michael Del Mundo is top-notch as always, and adds to the horror of the character that we remember. The problem is that this comic is going to have a difficult place in the marketplace and will likely be lost in the shuffle. Carnage was always a great character to appear at times, murder a few people, and get carted off to prison or "killed". Now, he is going to continue his insane ways in a monthly comic. Now, we know that will not succeed, so we have to assume that Conway has something planned for the comic. But, as a first issue, it did have a number of nostalgic moments that reminded us why we liked the character in the first place. I do recommend the comic and I ask people to give it a chance, but even I have a hard time seeing this comic making more then a dozen issues. I give this issue a 7 out of 10.